In our first reading today from the book of Isaiah, we
hear/read: "See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds
cover the peoples" then "but upon you the LORD shines, and
over you appears his glory." The beginning of this new year
seems to be right in line with the first part of this
message. it is difficult for me somehow to push through it
immediately to the hope of the second part!

New year's resolutions are notoriously easy to make but
hard to maintain. This year I am trying to look at the
darkness and clouds that inevitably come into life with a
solution-based perspective. " What is wrong with this
picture?" comes first, then, "what 'next right thing' can I
do to make the situation better?"

In our Gospel reading, the magi followed Jesus' star and
were "overjoyed" when they found the Lord. They heeded a
warning in a dream and continued their lives afterwards "by
another way". To me, there is wisdom in what the magi did
before they found Jesus and afterwards as well.

The wisdom of the magi is applicable to our day and times
and our situations. We, too, must seek out the light. It
only takes a glimmer of light to overcome any darkness, but
we MUST actively look for it. "What is wrong with the
picture" in so many cases is that the characters involved
focus on the darkness, not on the possibility of light. That
"wallowing in the mud" mentality seems to ignore that we,
too, can be, and really are called to be, that glimmer of
light.

Ignoring the darkness is not the answer and neither is
becoming part of it. What is the next right thing we can do
to shed light and be light in such situations? I think how
each of us answers that question can be the beginning of not
just new year's resolutions we can fulfill but a life
changing direction for people personally, in the communities
in which we find ourselves, and also as a sold step toward
worldwide peace as well.

What is the "next right hing" you can do to follow the
light of Christ and be light in this world? It can be an
epiphany. It can be life-changing.

The celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord brings us a
two edged sword bearing a cutting edge of unexpected hope
while the other edge carries the cutting edge of the
challenge of discerning truth from duplicity. The first
reading from the third part of the book of Isaiah is filled
with hope. This Isaiah is full of hope for his people,
proclaiming a reversal of seven decades of terrible slavery
in Babylon. Released from oppression by the mighty army of
Cyrus the Great of Persia, Isaiah’s prophecy speaks of the
chosen people as becoming a light to all nations. This work
of Cyrus was not merely the overthrow of the corrupt
Babylonian empire. It signaled an awakening of the Chosen
People. The darkness of slavery that plunged the nation in
despair and gloom is shattered with a force that explodes
and scatters hope to all nations. That captivity was a time
of spiritual renewal of the Chosen People. It was during
this time that the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures
were written down. For several centuries after the
establishment of the Kingdom of David, the Chosen People
were scattered over the whole earth by choice, by war, and
by the creation of a network of international commerce. This
prophecy of Isaiah signaled a return of the entire family of
twelve tribes in a grand festival of reunion. All would be
called home, even infants, the sons and daughters still in
the arms of their nurses. The brightness of this reunion of
the tribes with God would bring caravans with gold and
frankincense to Jerusalem. Gold is the symbol of royalty:
this gift meant that all nations would recognize the Kingdom
of faith witnessed by the Chosen People. Frankincense is a
symbol of divinity; this gift meant that all nations would
recognize that God dwells with these Chosen People.

Most of us recall that gold and frankincense were gifts
the Magi brought to the now nearly two year old Jesus in
Bethlehem. But we might note the absence of the Magi’s third
gift of myrrh. Myrrh is symbolic of death as that was the
spice used to prepare bodies for burial. This prophecy of
Isaiah is filled with hope. There is no prophecy in this
passage of Isaiah that foretells the death of Jesus. This
message of hope comes to us as a light to the world. Light
allows us to see the truth of ourselves, of our fellow
humans, and the world around us. We discern truth of what
happens around and to us. We see clearly what is a lie. We
can see and understand what is good and experience what is
evil. With this knowledge we are able to exercise our
freedom to decide for truth or lie and in so doing walk a
path of good or evil. The light illumines the way so can
choose to stay on the path of what is right and avoid holes
and cliffs and slippery slopes of what is wrong and a lie of
what God created.

The birth of Jesus is a supernova of brightness with
which we can see God’s continuing intervention in human
history. It is not as though what has gone on before lacks
anything as thought the Hebrew experience of God’s presence
was meaningless. This coming of the Son of God is a
confirmation of what has gone on before. But it also leads
to a new hope, a new appreciation of the presence of God
among us. As our human history ebbs and flows from periods
of peace and kindness into the violence of war,
interpersonal violence, and denial of dignity and worthy to
any other part of creation, we find ourselves in need of
God’s presence. That presence, that Emmanuel is the
brightness overcoming the gloom and doom of disasters in
human history. Our Christmas hope lasts only a short time.
Then reality comes rushing back in and hope is robbed of its
energy by a current of evil. We easily forget that evil
continues even when hope itself illumines our path. It is as
though the undeclared gift of myrrh in the message of Isaiah
is pushed aside in the delirium that accompanies our release
from slavery, oppression, and poverty. We forget to remain
clear-eyed to the reality of the world.

In this celebration of the Epiphany we should recognize
the always present dangers of complacency and of the evil
brought on by those who seek power or work to hold on to the
illusion of power. We might achieve more clarity about our
current circumstances if we consider this story of the Magi
from the facts of history. "Magi" was an ancient Middle
Eastern term used to identify those who studied current
events, astrology, and history. In the Parthian Empire this
term Magi was used more specifically to name what we would
today call a "think tank" for the ruler. They studied
astrology, political movements of their empire and political
movements of surrounding nations, the strategies and tactics
of successful armies, and the attitudes of citizens. They
understood and studied the energy of commerce that led to
wealth and standards of living. In this way they were able
to predict and assist in the development of strategies and
policies for governing. The Parthians were enemies of the
Jews. In 40 B.C.E they attacked Judaea in an effort to
overthrow the occupation of the Romans and claim that
territory as their own. They failed in their attempt. It was
during the confusion of that war that Herod was able to
finagle his way into power over Judaea. So when these Magi
appeared in Jerusalem it appeared to Herod that these
ambassadors from Parthia were there looking for a person who
would usurp his kingship.

What is amazing about this story is that the chief
priests and scribes who understood God’s promise of a
Messiah for the people apparently did nothing to find the
child foretold in the prophecy of Micah, the last of the
prophets of Israel. They interpreted the prophecy for Herod
and then returned to their usual and customary practices of
ritual and moral admonitions to the people. Surely there
would have been one or perhaps two among the chief priests
and scribes – the wise keepers and interpreters of the
Hebrew Scriptures – who would have pursued this visitation
of the Magi? But there is no evidence they did so. What
dulled their perceptions: what blockage was there in their
hearts that prevented them from rejoicing at the prospect of
the promised Messiah? Perhaps this is a question we should
ask ourselves as we celebrate this Christmas season?

But it was Herod, in the duplicity of his heart, who lied
to the Magi. He insisted he too was looking for this
promised king. All the while he feared this promised king
was a challenge for his throne. This child born in Bethlehem
would threaten his kingship if not in his infancy then at
least in the future. He must be eliminated.

It strikes me as I think on the Scriptures that we make a
mistake when we think of the Scriptures as something in the
past. As we look at our world now, we see repeated genocides
of peoples, of tribes, of whole nations. What is the source
of this disaster? Why did the World Wars of our parents
expose the evil in human hearts that allowed for the
extermination of six million persons men, women, and
children? To what can we attribute the horror of the
genocide in the Balkans? Where can we lay blame for the
"troubles" in Ireland resulting in the loss of moms and
dads, sons and daughters? What about the troubles in our own
country resulting in the lynching of hundreds of African
American citizens? What about the native people in our own
country even now forgotten and oppressed in "reservations?"
What about the troubles in Central and South America that
even now are the sources of scores of deaths and
overwhelming poverty? Why do we as Christians ignore the
destruction of the land that was the birthplace of
Christianity – that land of Syria evangelized by Paul? If we
isolate ourselves, thinking our nation is above such terror,
we only fool ourselves into thinking that evil can be
allowed to flourish elsewhere and not affect us. We should
sharpen the Hope side of the two-edged sword.

Does not Herod still live and thrive today in the persons
of our government who are unaffected by the deaths of
children and their imprisonment in unsafe and violent
retention centers? In a land that claims seven million jobs
lacking applicants are we economically not cutting off our
noses to spite our faces by refusing to legalize a flow of
applicants for work and for contributing citizenship?

We rejoiced at the angels’ song "Peace on earth to men of
good-will." Maybe on this epiphany, this coming out of Jesus
as the longed-for Messiah we can overcome the lack of vison
of the chief priests and scribes and ask the Magi if we can
tag along to see for ourselves this heaven-born Son of
God/Son of Man. This two edged sword is in our hands so we
can cut through that which dulls our senses to the evil
around us and thus on the back-swing cut through the
darkness of sin and despair. For this child is the hope of
nations, all nations.

At Christmas time we give presents to different people.
Different people give presents to us. What's it all about?
It all goes back to the story of the wise men going to
Bethlehem, falling down on their knees, and offering the
best gifts they could afford to the Baby King.

But Christmas is not just about giving presents. It’s
more about being present, i.e. sharing ourselves with
warmth, affection and sincerity. The quality of our personal
presence is everything. In practice, gift-giving may
sometimes be aimed more at keeping on side and keeping the
peace than being really present. In fact, gift-giving may at
times be part of the commercialisation of Christmas instead
of an expression of unconditional love.

In contrast, the wise men are completely single-minded
and sincere in their gift-giving. Their gifts are
expressions of their respect, reverence, gratitude and love
for the child. Their gifts are given with no strings
attached, no conditions, and no mixed motives.

The flaws in our gift-giving may make us feel that the
whole business of exchanging Christmas presents should be
abolished, and that the commercialization of Christmas
should be restrained and restricted, if not eliminated
altogether.

If and when we think such thoughts, it may help to
remember that the commercialization and consumerism of
Christmas is somewhat necessary. Were it a completely
spiritual celebration, hundreds of small businesses would go
to the wall. Thousands of factory workers making bon-bons,
trees, chocolates, decorations, cards and toys, would find
themselves unemployed.

It may also be helpful to remember that if people did not
spend money on gifts to family and friends at Christmas,
their consciences would not be roused to make donations to
the poor and needy at this special time of giving and
sharing. (Many charities, in fact, experience a big boost at
Christmas time).

Despite the limits and flaws in our gift-giving, it’s
important to both keep the practice alive and to purify it
of its worst excesses. It's particularly important to the
lives of children. The good news is that while they are
attracted to receiving e.g., a gift of an I-Pad or shiny new
roller-blades, they are also attracted to the Crib and to
the story of the baby lying there clothed in rags. Their
hearts are touched by the plight of his parents who are so
poor that they can offer him nothing but their protection
and affection.

In fact, children very easily get the message that this
is a story of love. They appreciate the humanity of the Holy
Family, their struggles and their sacrifices, to bring to
the human race the Light of the Nations.

The story of the visit to the Crib by the Wise Men is a
story of giving and receiving. It speaks of how gifts
express love between persons, and of how gifts given with
love bind people together. But it is not simply about the
giving of things - in this case gold, frankincense, and
myrrh - but the giving of persons, the sharing of selves.

In celebrating Epiphany we are celebrating the greatest
manifestation of goodness there has ever been, that of God's
love for us. For it was out of love, that God the Father
gave us the Son, and gave him to be our Light, our Savior,
our King and our Joy. The poet John Betjeman has written of
this precious gift from God:

A
present that cannot be priced

Given two thousand years ago.

Yet if God had not given so

He
still would be a distant stranger

And not the Baby in the manger.

Jesus, then, is the celebrity we are celebrating. He’s
the reason for the season, the Twelve Days of Christmas. So,
as a beautiful carol puts it: ‘JOY, JOY, FOR CHRIST IS BORN,
THE BABE, THE SON OF MARY!’

As our Eucharist continues then, I suggest that we make a
special point of giving thanks for the coming of Jesus
Christ into our lives. May we acknowledge with sincerity
that he is the most valuable present we have ever received!
May we also in return renew the gift of our whole selves,
our whole lives, to both God himself and to the people who
need us most!

Volume 2 is for you. Your thoughts, reflections, and
insights on the next Sundays readings can influence the
preaching you hear. Send them to
preacherexchange@att.net. Deadline is
Wednesday Noon. Include your Name, and Email Address.

-- Fr. John

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